Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to software purchase and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for remote purchase, installation, and licensing of software.
Description of the Related Art
Software purchase and installation for a device requires a user to be physically present on the device for which the purchase is made. Generally, software is purchased on computer readable media, such as a CD-ROM, flash drive and the like, or downloaded to a local hard drive on the device, for example from an Internet location. Installation of the software generally requires providing user details before making an online purchase. All activities related to download, installation and purchase are triggered from the device, and require the user's presence at the device.
Further, for multiple devices with different platform (e.g., WINDOWS® OS, MAC® OS, or LINUX® OS, among others), the user needs to download different installation files corresponding to each platform. The user is required to access devices individually, one by one, for completing software installation corresponding to that device's operating system. This procedure is quite tedious and time consuming for the user.
In certain instances, a user may purchase a software that is incompatible with the device (e.g., due to hardware or software configuration of the device). There is a significant inconvenience associated with discovering that the software is incompatible and possibly revoking the software purchase, for the user and the software provider.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for remote purchase, installation, and licensing of software.